Dark Reunion
by Insomniata
Summary: Yugi is on the lookout for a job while he stumbles into Bakura, but something is not right. Yami Bakura has returned to gain the ultimate power and for that he needs Yugi... And Atem who dwells in the afterlife.
1. Domino Kidnapping

**Disclaimer: **Yu-Gi-Oh! and the characters herein are the property of Tazuki Takahashi.

**Warning:** This is a puzzleshipping story.

**Timeline:** After the ceremonial battle between Yugi and Atem.

**Dark Reunion**

**Chapter 1 – Domino kidnapping**

Domino City: the source origin of the game Duel Monsters. Worldly known for the place of this invention, Domino City had many dueling visitors in the month of July, one of the hottest months of the year. The sun practically baked the streets. Most people kept indoors on such a hot day, but Yugi Mutou walked Domino's Streets in search of a job, since he had recently quit his last one. It would be sad to say that Yugi wanted to continue cleaning toilets and vacuuming floors in Domino City Hotel after three straight fulltime years, especially not when the city's main hotel was owned by Seto Kaiba, as so many other major companies in Domino. Being Seto's employee wasn't exactly the greatest bliss in the world, even though Yugi considered Seto a friend. So now Yugi wandered Domino's streets: sweating like a pig and wishing he had brought enough money with him just to buy a bottle of Coca-cola.

Yugi stopped at a wooden bench, panting. He had walked a little faster than his logic sense would normally allow. He sat down. His mind had sailed off to somewhere distant.

_How long had he been walking around without thinking where he was going? He had been thinking about Atem again. So often his mind wandered to the man he loved and missed, but that man no longer existed. Not in this world. It had nearly been over three years since Yugi last saw the Pharaoh. But Yugi had moved on now. Why then did his heart still ache, as if it was only yesterday he saw Atem walk away, into the light? Since that day a tight knot had been a permanent evil in his stomach. He tried to forget it. He tried not to think of where Atem was now. Did he still think of Yugi even though he was dead? Or did he just sleep blissfully? Unaware how sorely he was missed? One thing especially still haunted Yugi. He had never told Atem just how much he loved him. He so desperately needed the words to be said out loud. He needed the words to be embraced. He needed someone to hold him and tell him everything is going to be all right. He needed Atem. But he was gone. Maybe that was the knot that wouldn't go away._

_They had been each other's half for years. Atem, who he called Pharaoh or Yami had been his darker self, concealed inside the millennium puzzle. Yugi even missed the puzzle. He missed the feeling of it and knowing that inside it Atem was always there, right by his side. After all those years fighting together, laughing together and struggling together, it was like something inside him had died. Yugi had been ready to die for the puzzle's safety… Atem's safety. Yugi remembered how his friends tried to release the puzzle from its capture while a fire raged in the old abandoned building where Marik had tried to steal the puzzle from him. No matter what, Yugi had kept a tight hold on the puzzle. "I will never leave you Pharaoh…" The sentence repeated and repeated inside Yugi's head._

_He remembered the Pharaoh. He recalled that day in the fire with such clarity. The Pharaoh had seen everything from inside the puzzle. He had reached out to Yugi. Yugi remembered the serenity that calmed him, when the Pharaoh's hands enclosed Yugi's head. The pharaoh just held Yugi, while the fire licked the old walls. Yugi was sure he saw something in the eyes of the Pharaoh. Something he had never seen before. The Pharaoh's eyes had burned as greatly as the fire around them. "Thank you…" the Pharaoh had said._

Yugi sat very still now. His boyish and innocent eyes flickered. He felt tears pressing their way through. But he managed to keep his cool.

_What a way to find a job, Yugi thought. He was supposed to be active and ask around in Domino's stores, but instead he sat on a bench nearly sobbing._

"Hey, aren't you the famous duelist Yugi Mutou?"

A familiar voice came from Yugi's right side. A young man about Yugi's age stood lazily in front of him, dressed in shorts and a navy t-shirt. His silvery white hair gleamed in the hot day sun. His dark eyes almost beamed at Yugi. Yugi immediately recognized his old friend Bakura.

"Hey Bakura! It's such a long time since I've seen you". Yugi beamed back at Bakura, his sadness loosened its grip on him.

"Indeed. What are you doing on such a nice hot day like this?"

"I, uh. I'm trying to find a job actually". Yugi placed a hand of the back at his head, as if something was itching, while a faint smile lit up his face.

"Maybe doing something else than sitting on a bench would help then?" Bakura chuckled. "So what are you doing later?" Bakura asked in his usual friendly tone. "It feels like I haven't talked with you or any of the others for years. Well, that is the case I guess. We've got a lot of catching up to do".

"Um, actually I'm meeting the others later. You could come with us then? I think the plans are dinner somewhere for now, maybe we'll go see a movie afterwards if you're interested?"

"That sounds good to me", Bakura replied and smiled. "By the way you look like you could use something to drink, want to get a soda somewhere?"

"Sure, I could really use a drink". Yugi's mouth felt like the Sahara desert now, only worse. But then he remembered his lack of money. "But, um, I forgot my wallet back home; it's not usually like me to forget something like that".

"No worries, it's on me". Bakura laid a hand on Yugi's shoulder, smiling. "I know a shortcut to the nearest refreshment store, let's go". Bakura suddenly took a tight grip on Yugi's hand and dragged him up from the bench.

The suddenness surprised Yugi. "Woah, okay. You seem thirsty too Bakura". Bakura didn't reply, but only held Yugi's hand tighter. He walked faster and faster by each step.

_Yugi thought he had heard someone call his name as they walked towards the store, but maybe that was just his imagination. Bakura surely didn't give Yugi any time to turn around and look._

Yugi's hand began to ache. "Hey Bakura, slow down, you're hurting my hand". Bakura's silence went on. He dragged Yugi around corners and down a narrow none populated road. "Bakura, I mean it! Stop!" Yugi now began to resist, but Bakura's strength was greater than Yugi had ever imagined. "What are you doing? Let me go Bakura!" Yugi tried to gain some kind of eye contact with Bakura, but in vain.

Suddenly Bakura dragged Yugi down a dark alley. Yugi's fear curled up in him like an anticipating snake when he saw people, people who seemed to be waiting for them, seemed to be expecting their arrival. They were dressed in strange red robes. Their eyes seemed only dark, almost completely black to the struggling Yugi.

"Bakura what is this? I said let me go!" Finally Bakura let go, but not gently. He threw Yugi on the ground. Yugi's chin hit the ground hard. Yugi immediately felt something wet and warm run down his chin.

An icy chill ran down Yugi's back when he heard Bakura speak again. "Now, my friend, you are going to be of great use to me, you are going to help me gain the greatest power in the world".

Yugi couldn't believe what had just happened. In front of him Bakura was completely changed. He now looked exactly like the dark Bakura, like the evil spirit who had infested the millennium ring five-thousand years ago, but that couldn't be. Bakura had been destroyed, along with Zorc. Bakura's evil grin taunted Yugi.

"You, you can't be", Yugi said out loud. "You vanished, you, you need the millennium ring to be alive".

Bakura laughed loudly. "Do I now? Maybe you only thought I did." Bakura stared intensely into Yugi's eyes, suddenly kneeling in front of Yugi, whispering into his ear. "Now a change of subject, if I didn't have the slightest interest in you, I would kill you in a heartbeat, but truth be told you've always fascinated me. I'm going to be a good boy and only sacrifice some of your blood in the offering".

"Wha, what offering? Sacrifice my blood? Bakura have you gone mad?" _Okay maybe when his memory took him back Yugi remembered a certain lust for world dominance, Yugi thought darkly. And did he just again hear someone calling his name in the distance? He couldn't tell._

Bakura only chuckled and moved closer so that his nose touched Yugi's. Out of nowhere Bakura stuck out his tongue and licked Yugi's one cheek. Yugi was speechless, his eyes opened wide in horrid surprise. Bakura then rose and looked over his shoulder at his followers.

"Get him in the van".

Yugi suddenly woke up to reality. "You pervert! What is it with you and licking stuff?" Yugi spat out, rising to his feet. Yugi didn't see a big guy nearing him from behind, giving him a blow to the head. Yugi fell to the ground once again, completely knocked out.

* * *

For Joey this hot July day was just another day among the bunch. He happily strode the streets of Domino, heading for the grocery store in shorts and sunglasses. With music in his ear he hummed one of his favorite songs.

"_Billie Jean is not my lover; she's just a girl who claims that I am the one, da da da, da da da". Ahh nice weather, Joey thought. If only Tristan wasn't going on a "date" with Serenity today we could have all gone to the beach. Hmm wait they __were__ going to the beach, he sure hoped Tristan wouldn't try anything fancy on Serenity, but hey there wasn't much he could do about it anyways since Tristan and Serenity became official. Hmm maybe Yuge would want to go to the beach then, but he was going to look for a job today. Maybe I can find some duelists who I can show my awesome dueling strategies to. There sure were many duelists around._

Joey suddenly stopped. _Wasn't that Yuge over there talking to Bakura? How strange. He would have sworn Bakura had left Domino for good. He told them right after the ceremonial battle that he would travel to Egypt and become an Egyptologist, whatever that was. __Maybe he was just back to visit._

"Hey Yuge! Bakura!" Joey hoped that they would hear him. He only saw them from a distance. But they didn't. He saw Bakura suddenly drag Yugi up from the bench he was sitting on. It seemed odd to Joey.

_Why did Yugi seem so uncomfortable? Maybe he should follow Yugi just to make sure he was all right._

Joey started to follow Yugi and Bakura, but it was easier said than done. They moved faster and faster. _And didn't he hear Yugi yell at some point? It didn't sound friendly to Bakura at all. _He saw Yugi being dragged around some corners, Joey panted and tried to keep up, but suddenly they were gone. _Where were they?_

"Yugi! Where are you?" Fear started to crawl in Joey. There were no more people around. The street was empty. Desperately Joey looked everywhere he could. _What mess had Yuge now gotten himself into? _Joey looked for several minutes without any result.

Joey suddenly heard voices. It came from an alleyway. Joey peeked down the alley, he saw to his horror that Yugi were being unconsciously put in some van and there were odd looking men in robes.

"Hey! You stop right there!" Joey thundered in front of the strangers. But to his disappointment they all hurried in the van and hit the speeder.  
"Wow!" Joey hugged the wall as fast as he could as the van sped past him. Joey caught a glimpse of a guy with white, silvery hair sitting in the front seat. _Was that? No, it couldn't be._

Joey ran after the van as fast as he could, but it had sped out of reach in seconds, _like he could do anything if it was in reach anyway other than being run over, Joey thought desperately_. "Yugi!" Joey screamed. Most people would have seen the impossibility in running down a van long ago, but not Joey. He ran as fast as he could after it. While Joey ran his lungs to limit he reached down for his cell phone in his pocket. Joey soon found the name he was looking for and pressed the call button.

"Come oooon! Pick up the phone!" Joey's impatience scared some by passers who looked at him like was he mad. Finally a voice emerged from the other end.

"Hello?"

"Tea!"

"Joey you sound like you're running a marathon, what's wrong?"

"It's Yugi! He's been kidnapped! He was taken into some van by strangers! Listen, I'll try to catch up with them, I'll call you back later". Joey slammed down the receiver, only because he had suddenly caught sight of a guy who was withdrawing money, and left his convertible turned on only a few feet behind him. Joey couldn't believe his luck. He didn't hesitate. He jumped in the front seat and hit the speeder.

"Hey, that's my car! Come back!" The guy pointlessly ran after his accelerating car.

Joey now only thought of one thing. _Get to Yugi in time; he could still remember the way the van took. They were taking Yugi somewhere outside of Domino City. Whatever they were going to do with him, Joey hoped he wouldn't be too late. _


	2. The Offering

**Chapter 2 – The Offering**

Yugi moved slightly and moaned. _Ugh, my head… _Yugi traced a hand to where he was hit in the back. He felt coagulated blood sticking to his hair. Then he moved his hand to his chin. He had been bleeding quite a lot there as well, now he only felt a scab covering the area of where his chin had hit the ground_. It could have been worse, Yugi thought. _Yugi noticed that one of his ankles had been chained. _What is this place…? _Yugi looked around and concluded that he was being held in some kind of house, no, a shed was more the word. Old statues of an Egyptian God stood scattered in the relatively big shed. Yugi wasn't an expert of ancient Egypt, but he reckoned the statues were portraying the God Set. He had been taught that much from his grandfather's travels to Egypt. _This must be some of Bakura's souvenirs. _Yugi looked around some more and noticedonly a little amount of light peeking through a small window. The floor was made out of cold grey bricks and at a distance Yugi noticed a door placed not far and right in his line of sight. _Its probably shielded shut anyway if he could get out of these chains._ The chain around Yugi's ankle was very heavy and a big lock ensured that he wouldn't escape. The chain itself was fastened to a rusty pipe. _This reminded Yugi of some horror movie he had seen recently. _The thought made Yugi shiver. Yugi peeked down at his shirt. A large area of the shirt had been colored red by blood.

_He feared the amount of blood Bakura had been talking about he would lose in the offering, whatever that offering was supposed to do for Bakura. And why did Bakura need Yugi? It didn't make any sense. If he just needed blood he could have taken anyone from the street. What was so special about Yugi's blood? And as far as Yugi could recall he wasn't related to anyone important. Maybe this was strictly because of vengeance. _Yugi shuddered at the thought of Bakura and what he had said just before Yugi was knocked cold. _"If I didn't have the slightest interest in you…" What on earth did he mean by that? Was Yugi going to be a part of some strange game in the world of pervert Bakura? Yugi's thoughts wandered to Joey, Tea and Tristan. Where were they now? Yugi had no sense of what time it was nor for how long he had been unconscious. Sooner or later they would wonder what kept him. Maybe they would search the whole city when they found out he was missing. Of course they would… They were his everything, his friends for life. Yugi couldn't remember one single time where they hadn't been there for him. Maybe he was going to die and they would find him dead somewhere in a ditch. _

Yugi's dark thoughts made him shiver and bury his head on his knees. His arms were hugging his legs.

Yugi was on the brink of shaking. _If only the Pharaoh was here… _

Suddenly Yugi heard someone approaching. The door was being opened. _As Yugi had thought the door sounded like it was difficult to open. Like there was a heavy lock on it. _

Finally the person opened the door. _If only it was Joey, Yugi thought desperately, or Tea, or Tristan, or all of them on the same time. What he wouldn't give just to see one of them now. _But it was not any of them he hoped so desperately to see. It was Bakura.

Bakura glared at Yugi with his dark eyes and walked slowly towards him.

"So the prince has awakened" Bakura mocked.

Yugi got on his feet when Bakura reached him. "What is it that you're planning to do with me? And don't come any nearer!" Yugi couldn't help but yell at Bakura.

"Ah, don't worry, I'll tell you what my plan with you is", Bakura stared into Yugi's eyes. Yugi felt like looking away, but he forced himself to stay in eye contact. "Though I can't promise I won't come closer". Bakura smirked wickedly.

"I warn you, I'll, I'll bite you if you come any closer!"

"That doesn't sound bad to me" Bakura laughed, but still he stayed some paces away from Yugi. Yugi immediately regretted his choice of words and felt like hitting himself in the face. Yugi's eyes flickered; he couldn't look into Bakura's eyes anymore. He felt extremely uncomfortable about it in two ways: the first was the fact that Bakura apparently had a thing for him, regardless how Yugi had never seen that coming, secondly he saw madness in his eyes, uncontrollable madness.

Bakura suddenly broke the silence. "Have you ever heard of the Book of the dead little Yugi?"

"What?" Yugi's eyes darted back to Bakura's.

_Yugi slightly remembered his Grandpa talking about it some years ago. It had been in his Grandpa's game store. His Grandpa was fixing some bookshelves while Yugi helped him categorize some Duel Monster's cards. Yugi stumbled across a card named the Book of the dead. Hm? Yugi pondered the name of the card. "Grandpa? What does this card do? I've never seen it before." Yugi's Grandpa stopped what he was doing, panting. "Ugh, I'm getting too old to fix things." Yugi's Grandpa chuckled and walked over to Yugi. The card pictured a dark book with a strange creature etched on the cover. There was something menacingly about the creature, Yugi thought. _

"_Ahh this card you ask? This is a very rare card indeed. It's as strong as the monster reborn card and very similar to it as well. It lets you bring back a monster or a magic card discarded to the graveyard. Some believed this book to actually be real and have the power to bring back the dead, but that's nonsense of course. Through my travels in Egypt I have never heard anyone speak of it. The creature you see on the front is Anubis, the God of afterlife. The Egyptians portrayed him as a jackal as you can see. _

"_Oh, He doesn't look very friendly." Yugi looked up at his Grandpa, smiling. _

"Yes Yugi, I can see you have heard of it. Bakura stared intensely into Yugi's eyes. The Book of the dead is real. I found it in Egypt after three years of searching. It wasn't easy to get a hold on; I admit I had to make life miserable for a few in order to get to it." Bakura laughed.

Yugi watched Bakura in disgust. "You are sick."

Bakura ignored Yugi's comment. "You see, that was not all I discovered in my journey. I also found out how to gain the greatest power in the world. I'm sure you've heard of Set, The Egyptian God of Chaos, Violence and most importantly darkness… He and I are on good terms you see, practically pals." Bakura laughed venomously. Set controls an army greater than any the world has ever seen. His army is sleeping underneath the sands of Egypt and Set has allowed me to take control of it. Set wants me to lead his army to darkness and destruction. With him by my side I can take control of everything!"

"You are mad! You can't do that!"

"Oh yes I can" Bakura moved closer to Yugi. "This is where you come into the picture Yugi; you are the key to Set's unstoppable army."

"Why? How? What do you mean?"

"The problem is… That only someone from the royal line of the Pharaohs, only a living Horus can bring forth the army of Set!"

"But that's ridiculous! I'm not in the royal line of the Pharaohs."

"Well aren't you quick… The Book of the dead secretly possesses the power to bring the dead back from beyond. The Book of the dead requires blood from someone the Living Horus loved… Don't you see little Yugi? This is why I can only do this now. It is only because of the Millennium items that I can bring back the Pharaoh from the dead. If none of the Millennium items had come into existence I wouldn't be able to do what it is I intend. Then the Pharaoh would never have known you, he would never have loved anyone like he loves you. Plus the ancient line of the Pharaoh's is practically untraceable today."

The obviousness hit Yugi like a giant hammer. _Yugi was the one half Bakura needed. And the Pharaoh was the other. The ritual Bakura wanted could be performed by the one reason: that the Pharaoh had existed in Yugi's time and that he had loved Yugi. No one would have been able to raise the army of Set if it wasn't for that fact. Or was it a fact? The Pharaoh had never told Yugi how he really felt about him. Maybe he didn't feel anything about him after all. Maybe it was just some beautiful lie that Yugi had believed in order to make existence bearable. The knot in Yugi's stomach came back tenfold. It ached… _

Yugi began to tremble. "Bakura… You can't do this. You can't bring him back! You can't!" Tears pressed behind Yugi's eyelids. "It's wrong! He deserves peace!"

Bakura's eyes darkened. "He… does not… deserve… anything…" with clenched teeth Bakura moved even closer to Yugi. A sudden rage broke through Bakura, startling the sobbing Yugi. "You don't know what he did to me! I watched! I watched my family being slaughtered like cattle, on the orders from that rat's father!" Bakura pushed Yugi up against the wall with a tight grip around Yugi's neck, making it hard for Yugi to breathe. "You don't know how much I hate him; I want to see him suffer, like he made me suffer… Tonight he will suffer, I assure you that Yugi."

Bakura let go of Yugi. Yugi fell to the cold floor, gasping for air. "Bakura, don't! You will destroy yourself if you do this! You can't…"

Bakura laughed. His cruelty darkened Yugi's heart. "Don't fool yourself Yugi; I know that deep down your heart jumps at the thought of the Pharaoh's return like a hormonal teenager… How pathetic." Bakura turned his back on Yugi. "Tonight the ritual will begin." Bakura walked out and slammed the door shut. Left alone Yugi couldn't control all of his emotions. It was chaos. Yugi cried now, tears streamed down his face, mumbling to himself. "No… It wasn't supposed to be like this. He can't come back…"

_Yugi desperately fought the feelings that he knew was wrong. Bakura was right, Yugi __did__ want the Pharaoh to come back. It was selfish of him. He couldn't possibly feel that this was right, but God how he ached for the Pharaoh to return. No… Yugi had to ensure that no matter what the Pharaoh wouldn't come back to life. If Bakura succeeded in bringing back the Pharaoh, he would kill him. No matter what Yugi would not let his own desires rise above what was right. He would do anything to stop Bakura…_

_

* * *

_

"I know it's here somewhere!" Joey drove like a maniac around looking for the place he had last seen the van.

Tea who sat besides Joey had a sinister look on her face. "Just keep looking Joey, you're sure it was somewhere around here right?"

"Yeah, argh, nothing makes sense. I was sure I saw the van around here somewhere, but then it vanished! I drove around for hours trying to find it until I called you guys and picked you up."

"Done blame yourself man, you did everything you could." Tristan reached out from the back seat, laying a comforting hand on Joey's shoulder.

"My best isn't good enough!" The car gave a high pitched squeal when Joey hit the brakes. "We've been looking now for over an hour in this damn country. The only thing I see is fields and more fields. We gotta get a new strategy guys." Joey clenched his teeth and hit the wheel hard with his fists.

The three of them were surrounded by seemingly never ending fields, with farms scattered here and there.

"I know Joey." Tea looked like she had given up, but she was consumed with fear for Yugi. "What if, what if something has happened to him?" Tea began sobbing. "I can't forgive myself if something…"

Tea stopped when she felt Joey's hand on her shoulder. "Hey… I'm sorry Tea. It's just… I'm really worried about him too you know?" Tea nodded silently.

"Come on guys, Yugi's been in tougher situations than this, I'm sure he can hold on till we find him." As always Tristan did his best to boost their spirit.

Joey nodded. "Well said buddy, let's find Yugi, we'll keep looking even if we have to look for the rest of our lives."

* * *

Night had fallen upon the land. Yugi sat restlessly in his cell, waiting for a single sound. He walked around, as far as the chain would allow him, looking out the small window from time to time, which he could barely reach, only just when he stretched and stood on his toes. He just stared emptily at his sneakers when he didn't look out the window. One time Yugi tried to punch a hole through the wall in frustration, which only resulted in physical pain.

Suddenly Yugi heard voices outside. Fear struck like thunder in Yugi's heart. The door was opened and two hooded men entered.

"Remove his chain" one of them said. The other went over to Yugi with a key in his hand. He opened Yugi's lock. Yugi quickly tried to dart to the door, but the first guy got in his way. "Trying to escape is useless." The man grabbed Yugi by collar of his shirt and dragged him outside. _He had definitely been right. There were several more hooded men in red robes waiting for them. It would be a waste of strength to struggle. Not to mention the hooded men looked twice Yugi's size and height. _

Yugi saw that he had been held captive at an old abandoned farm. The main building had begun to wither away and cracks were curling and withering their way like snakes. Windows were smashed and the doors were missing. But that was not where Yugi was being taken. His captors were leading him to a huge barn which looked just as old as the main building. Inside, Yugi were thrown on the hay covered floor. Trying to calm his heartbeat, Yugi looked up and saw statues of Set, just like those in the shed, only bigger. They towered over him with menacing eyes, each holding a staff in their hand. Big dark metallic torches were placed in a circle around him. Men in red robes were placed in an equal circle as the torches. All the men Yugi had seen standing outside now came into the barn, joining the circle. At the end of the barn stood the tallest Set statue of them all, right in front of it was Bakura.

Yugi tried to keep his calm. He knew that it was no use to run or to fight, but when Bakura approached him he felt an urge to jump at Bakura, anything that would make him stop.

"Now Yugi, are you ready to bear witness to the ultimate deity's power?" Bakura's wicked smile made Yugi furious. Yugi jumped at Bakura in seconds, knocking him on his back.

"Stop this madness Bakura!" Yugi screamed at the top of his lungs. Bakura only laughed while he hit Yugi in the gut. Bakura gripped around Yugi's neck and tilted him on his back. Bakura stared coldly into Yugi's eyes.

"Now I tell you something Yugi, you've got spunk. I like that; you'll make a nice slave when I get to rule this damned world." Bakura was so close to Yugi that he could feel his hot breath on his skin. Bakura let go of Yugi and walked over to the statue of Set. He came back with a book as black as the night. On the cover was Anubis, the protector of afterlife.

Bakura suddenly called out on a language Yugi did not understand and his followers began to repeat what Bakura was saying in melodic rhythms. Bakura suddenly withdrew a dagger from the emptiness and then seized Yugi's arm. Yugi struggled. He desperately tried to free himself from Bakura's grasp, but one of his followers came to Bakura's aid and held Yugi tight. Bakura kept on chanting. He threw the open book on the floor. Yugi caught glimpses of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Bakura screamed and traced the dagger across Yugi's arm. "Bakura! Stop!" Yugi screamed in desperation. The cut was over quickly, but Yugi's blood quickly streamed down his arm. Bakura held Yugi's arm over the Book of the dead.

Bakura cried out again in the strange language. Yugi only caught the word Anubis.

Darkness came upon them. The fire in the torches turned dark. Unintelligible voices erupted from all around them and strange shadows danced on the walls and almost seemed to cling around them. Then a deep, dark voice appeared as if out of nowhere. Yugi couldn't believe what he heard. The voice sounded very melodic, but not in any way human. The voice disappeared as soon as it had come. Instead the room was filled with glowing violet light. Yugi, Bakura and his followers were blinded. They shielded themselves from the light. Then the light vanished. They all looked up.

The Book of the dead lay open still, on the hay covered floor. The blood was gone. Next to the book lay a man. His long, slender legs were curled up against his chest, his arms held around his torso, his hair a big wild mess of black, magenta and gold, his eyes were shut and his breathing consistent. Atem lay on the floor, naked and seemingly asleep.

Yugi stopped breathing for seconds. His heart skipped. _Everything around him lost its meaning, Bakura, his followers and the blood streaming down his arm. The only thing that mattered was the person lying on the floor right in front of him. _

_Atem…_


	3. Reunion

**Chapter 3 – Reunion**

_A voice; calling out. The voice is calling a name. Again and again it calls, the second more desperate than the other. Atem… Atem… Is that his name? The voice screams. That voice. It seems familiar. But he can't place it. He's lying down on hard asphalt amongst sad buildings, the next moment on a green field with a blue sky and white clouds. The scenery continues to change. He wants to stop it, it's going too fast. Faces speeds past him. He knows that he has seen them before, but he can't remember their names. It feels like space and time is not existent in this world and he can't hold one thought before it disappears like shifting sand. _

_A figure appears besides him, out of nowhere; it squats down, looks into his eyes. The figure smiles gently. He is small. Light seems to radiate from him. He's like a small sun. His big violet eyes are like a never ending space. He could look into them forever. The small figure reaches out for him. His hand is steady, waiting for him to take it. He wants to take it, but he can't move. He tries to speak, but his tongue and jaw won't obey him. His vocal chord feels numb. The figure tilts his head to one side, like he doesn't understand his troubles. The figure looks at him like it's only a game, like he just has to reach and nothing more. He knows that he must take the figure's hand. Rain is falling down around them now. How beautiful it is. _

_A familiar scenery flashes before his eyes. He's standing in a room. The boy next to him is in fear of the future. He is looking out the square window in his room. Rain is pouring down outside in the dark night. He desperately wants to comfort the boy, tell him everything is going to be all right, but he himself is only a hollow shadow, a shadow who resides inside the millennium puzzle. He's not of flesh and blood like the boy. His heart aches in the darkness. If only he could touch and reach. This was a world he once came from. It was real. He longs for it to be real again. _

_Amidst the darkness he finds strength, deep inside his own heart. He doesn't think about how to move his limbs, or how to speak, he suddenly just does it. He reaches, takes the figures hand. _

_A jolt of light courses through his body, filling him with hope and memories. He knows this person sitting beside him. How beautiful he is, small and delicate. He wants to protect him from any danger. He wants to hold him, to kiss him, to embrace everything that is him. The person smiles at him. He is luminous. His name is no longer lost to him... _

_Yugi… I remember._

_

* * *

_

A voice screams.

"Atem!" He opened his eyes. His limbs were weak, but he could move them. There was no rain surrounding him now. He wished there was. He felt life coursing through him and the pain that followed. He moaned loudly. He had forgotten how it felt. His heart beat strong and blood coursed through his veins with immense power. The light around him made him feel like he had never used his eyes before. It hurt him greatly.

Atem moved very slowly. He sat up with difficulty. A man came towards him, throwing something over him, a rug. Atem suddenly realized that he was naked. With a sudden, quick breath he wrapped himself with the rug. He looked around, trying to forget the pain that had control over his body. The first thing he saw was the person from his dream, or hallucination, whatever it really was.

It was Yugi. Atem's heart began to race. _Yugi…_

"Atem!" It was Yugi's voice he had heard all along. Yugi was held back by a hooded stranger. He struggled to break free. _Why? _

With a hoarse voice, Atem cried out. "Yugi!" Atem tried to rise, but his legs were too weak. An emotion, strong as nothing Atem had ever experienced welled up inside him. _He wanted to go to Yugi. He needed to protect him._ _He had to be there for him._

Another figure suddenly towered over Atem. Atem recognized him, though his name was lost. The person had long silvery white hair. His dark eyes were glowing.

"Who are you?" Atem struggled to remember who that person was. "Let Yugi go!"

The person grabbed Atem's hair in a strong grip. "Argh!" Atem tried to break free from the stranger's icy grip.

"I'm really disappointed Pharaoh, do you really not remember my name? Or are you just playing games like always?" The stranger's gaze hardened.

"I don't know who you are!" The pain in Atem's scalp increased as the stranger's grip in his hair tightened.

"Let him go!" Yugi beckoned the stranger. Atem's confusion only got worse.

"Quiet!" The stranger twitched his head towards Yugi. Atem and Yugi exchanged desperate glances. The stranger exhaled with an irritated groan. "It doesn't matter, I will enjoy torturing you after the final ritual, no matter if you remember anything from your past life or not." The stranger smiled wickedly and gestured towards some of his followers to grab hold of Atem. "I'm sure you will remember your old friend Bakura in time."

Atem tried to say something, but his words were lost in agony and his thoughts raced, he couldn't remember who Bakura was, not even after hearing his name. Two big men grabbed Atem's arms. Atem moaned loudly while his every muscle and bone ached. He looked at Yugi, trying to find some comfort. He felt helpless. Yugi looked back at Atem with wet eyes. Atem could not place the look on Yugi's face: was it desperation? Pain? Helplessness?

_Atem felt like his heart would burst. The pain in his body didn't matter as long as Yugi wasn't safe. But he could do nothing. He felt like screaming his lungs out. _

Atem raised his arm towards Yugi. _He knew Yugi couldn't take his hand, but he still reached out for him. _Atem could not hold back a faint smile while Yugi did the same.

Screams suddenly broke through the emptiness. Bakura's follower's desperately fled the old wooden barn. Fire was everywhere in seconds, eating up the hay covered floor and making its way to the wooden walls. Atem's eyes fixed on Bakura. Bakura was enraged. "No!" Stay where you are you fools! Get the Pharaoh!"

Atem then saw Yugi's captor being shortly struck by confusion. Yugi stepped with all his power on the captor's toes. The captor yelled in pain, it was enough for Yugi to break free. He sped towards the weak Atem, who had been left on the floor while the hooded men had been fleeing for their lives. Thick smoke had quickly reached the corners of the barn, suffocating everything in its way. Atem was losing consciousness.

"Atem!" Yugi grabbed Atem around his shoulders, desperately trying to keep him awake. The thick smoke made Atem's throat contract and he coughed while the fire got closer. "Atem! Stay awake! Stay with me!" Yugi raised Atem up to a sitting position. Atem opened his eyes, searching for Yugi. "I'm here, I won't leave you… I'll never leave you Pharaoh."

"Yugi!" A voice suddenly came from behind him. Joey hurried to his side.

"Joey…" Yugi was getting dizzy. He coughed, the smoke filled his lungs. "I need help." Yugi felt like he was about to collapse at Atem's side.

Joey turned around, "Tristan! Over here!" Tristan appeared out of the smoke and grabbed Yugi to support him. Joey quickly grabbed Atem and carried him in his arms. "Hurry! Let's get out of here!" They ran as fast as they could out of the old barn. The fire was a pure inferno now. It licked the walls in enormous flames. The thick smoke encircled the statues of Set, but the flames could not burn their fabric.

Joey and Tristan made it outside with their nearly unconscious friends. A helicopter was waiting for them outside. The propeller's quick beats made the grass wave violently.

"Quickly!" Seto Kaiba's icy blue eyes awaited them in front of the helicopter. His eyes opened wide when he noticed Atem in Joey's arms, but now was not the time to ask questions. Tea was already in the helicopter waiting for them. Her eyes lit up when she saw Yugi.

"Are they okay? Please tell me they're okay." Tea laid a cool hand on Yugi's cheek when Joey had jumped in the helicopter with Tristan. "I think so." Joey looked down on the unconscious Pharaoh and checked his pulse. "He's okay!" Joey yelled, hoping his words would not be caught in the noise. "He's just unconscious."

Seto was the last to get onboard the helicopter. "Get us out of here Roland!" Kaiba's long white coat waved crazily in the air while he hurried to sit beside his right hand Roland in the front. The helicopter lifted and the land quickly disappeared beneath them. In the distance they saw the barn collapse in massive crashes.

Joey gazed towards Kaiba. He wanted to say thank you a million times, but Kaiba did not as much as turn towards the others. Joey sighed heavily; feeling a gigantic stone had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked over at Yugi. He was so exhausted that his eyelids had fallen shut and Joey noticed that he had lost much blood. Anger filled up within him. He then looked down at the Pharaoh. He had no idea why or how he had come back, but it didn't matter now. What mattered was that they were safe from harm and that they were out of Bakura's reach.

* * *

Atem moved. He opened his eyes slowly. Yugi was looking down at him and so were Joey, Tea and Tristan. At first he had no words, he just stared at them. He found it hard to control all of his overwhelming emotions.

He had been dreaming strange dreams about things that had passed. He remembered all of them and things from a life that felt long gone. The thing that stood clearest to him at that waking moment was Bakura and his Millennium Ring. Fierce duels had replayed inside Atem's head. Bakura's evil laugh echoed inside him still.

"Hey Pharaoh" Joey smiled gently down at Atem.

"Where… Where am I?" Atem sat up. He was in a bed, a rather large and fancy one. The room was neatly decorated with paintings and antique closets and drawers. The walls were midnight blue with golden wallpaper flowers and a big window let in the clear midday light.

"You are at Kaiba's" Tea replied. "He… he helped us rescue you, we didn't know what to do, we only just reached you and Yugi in time."

"Hm, I still think I would have found them without Kaiba's help thank you very much." Joey folded his arms across his chest with a pout. "As I told you countless of times I knew where it was and I was so close to finding the hideout and it was me who came up with the idea to knock the torches over, you saw how it made them flee like cowards."

"You couldn't find your own home, even if you were supported by a GPS and a bigger brain Wheeler." Kaiba stood on the threshold, watching the others. "Not to mention the fire nearly killed Yugi and the Pharaoh in the process."

Joey groaned. "Shut it Kaiba, no one asked you." Joey might have sounded confident, but he winced at Kaiba's words.

"You know they would have been dead by now if it wasn't for me Wheeler."

"You just!.."

"Cut it off you two." Tea stamped her foot on the floor. "Atem needs rest and he needs it now, let's go folks."

"Well said Tea" Tristan said and poked Joey in the shoulder. "Come on guys."

Joey groaned even louder and walked reluctantly out the room after Tristan and Tea, Yugi turned to walk out of the room as well, but he was quickly stopped.

"Yugi… stay… please?" Atem's eyes pleaded Yugi.

Yugi turned around to look at the Pharaoh. With a faint smile he said "of course."

"Get well." Kaiba looked firmly Atem in the eye, turned and closed the door behind him.

Atem sat perfectly still. He looked into Yugi's eyes. _Yugi was just like Atem remembered, only taller, though still small compared to Joey and Tristan. His lean figure and wild hairstyle, with the black and magenta star and his blonde fringe resembled his own greatly. His eyes were one of the things that stood out. They were big and violet, sometimes Atem thought of a puppy when he looked into them. Atem's own eyes were far smaller and more deep purple, sometimes they looked dark grey in the light. _

"You've grown" he said in a low voice.

Yugi stood like nailed to the floor. "Yeah I've… I've grown since last you saw me." Yugi looked away. "Kaiba has left some clothes for you..." Yugi walked a few paces to a comfortable looking sofa where an undershirt, a pair of jeans and a white shirt lay at the ready. Yugi took it and went over to Atem to give it to him. Yugi stopped right in front of the sitting Atem, motioning for him to take it.

"Yugi…" Atem took the clothes out of Yugi's hands, but grabbed Yugi's hand with the other. Tremors were sent from Yugi's fingertips and down his body, making him almost uncomfortable. _How many times had he not dreamed of this to happen? And the fact that Atem was practically naked under the sheets made him almost blush, but Yugi wasn't? Or was he? He had never thought about it before like this. _

"Listen Yugi, I'm sorry that this has happened… not because… I mean, I'm sure you had a life going on here without me and that's what I wanted for you. I have no idea why or how I came back… I don't want to ruin anything…"

Yugi's eyes opened wide in surprise. "You are sorry? You…are sorry?" Yugi had expected Atem to be sorry, but not sorry for him ruining Yugi's life, more rather him being sorry for the whole resurrection ordeal. "Pharaoh, you have been gone for three years. Since then I have thought about you every day… I've missed you so much, you have no idea…" Yugi sat down beside Atem, still holding his hand. "If anyone's sorry it's me! I tried to stop it." Yugi's voice shook and his small hand tightened around Atem's. "It's my fault that Bakura succeeded. If I had done something to prevent it…"

"Aibou… I really believe that there was nothing you could have done to undo what happened last night." Yugi froze by hearing his old nickname. His heart suddenly ached a little; he had almost forgotten how it felt, how the sound tasted on his tongue. "I'm not even sure what happened" Atem continued.

Yugi's throat contracted by the thought of what had happened and how everything would have been if Bakura had been successful. "Bakura is trying to raise the army of Set. He needs a Pharaoh in order to do that, he told me that only a Pharaoh had the power to invoke it."

Atem's eyes darkened. "I remember, a long time ago, when my father ruled Egypt; there were tales about Set's unstoppable army, but the fear of it was too vast to even think about trying to control it."

"So you know about Bakura's plans and how he intended to bring you back?"

"I… only concluded that it had something to do with you."

Yugi's hand slipped from Atem's. He suddenly felt very cold. Yugi hugged his chest with his arms. "Bakura needed the Book of the dead to bring you back."

"The Book of the dead?" Atem frowned. "But Anubis is the God of the underworld, why would a powerful God like that have helped Set to gain control of the world?"

Yugi's jaw dropped a little. "Um, so what you are saying is that these Gods are actually real?"

"You must have seen what happened when I was resurrected, it's not like me coming back could have been some magic trick Bakura conjured just for his own sick pleasure."

"You've got a point there…" Yugi's big eyes turned towards Atem. "You know about the Book of the dead and how it brings someone back to life?"

"I…"Atem stopped speaking. _He suddenly realized what had happened last night. The Book of the dead was capable of returning the dead from beyond by sacrificing the blood of the one the dead had loved. That was why Bakura had needed Yugi. He had somehow known how Atem had really felt about Yugi. Atem thought of the offering and what had been necessary to perform it. _

"Where did he cut you?" Atem asked suddenly.

"It's nothing…" Yugi said and covered a hand across his arm. Long sleeves on a red and green shirt with a checked pattern hid his scab.

Atem gently grabbed Yugi's arm and pulled up his sleeve. A long crusted scab covered his forearm. For the first time Atem noticed another scab on Yugi's chin, though far from being as bad as the one covering his arm. Atem's eyes darkened. "If I could get a hold on him… He would be very sorry for hurting you." Atem touched Yugi's shoulder, laying a steady hand on it. His touch made Yugi shiver. Yugi returned Atem's touch for the first time by laying his own hand on top of where Atem had put his. Atem gave Yugi a faint smile for returning his gesture.

"Bakura will come looking for us. I bet his minions are all over the city looking for us right now. Bakura wants that ritual completed no matter what it takes."

"You're right. If I know Bakura as he once was he will go to any lengths to get what he wants. We have to stop him."

"But how?" Yugi tightened his fist a little, enough for Atem to notice.

"I don't know… but we'll have to think of something. We must talk to the others later."

Yugi nodded. Then long moments of silence made them both feel awkward.

"Aibou…" Atem voice sounded shaky while he looked out the huge windows. Outside blossoming cherry trees wavered in the sunlight. He wanted to look at Yugi, but he feared it at the same time. "There are things I feel like I never got to say…" Atem forced himself to look at Yugi. Looking at him made his heart race. He felt a wave of mixed emotions.

_Why did Yugi's lips suddenly seem so irresistible? Or why did the simple way he had placed his arm across his small chest make Atem want to grab hold of his hair and throw him back across the bed? No that's ridiculous… _

It was like Yugi had thought something similar, because his cheeks were hot red.

"I just want…" Yugi began; he was cut off abruptly when Atem leaned over and tenderly kissed him. Time stopped in those few seconds. Yugi's lips burned when their lips parted. Yugi had not pushed Atem back, though the kiss had been very surprising. The look on Atem's face changed quickly when he realized what he had done.

"I'm sorry, I don't know…" but Yugi suddenly pushed himself against Atem with a fierceness that knocked Atem on his back. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, unable to speak. Yugi hadn't thought so far as what to do next.

Both their hearts raced like they were about to burst out of their chests. "What are we doing?" They thought the same thing, but Yugi was the only one to say it out loud.

"I don't care, just kiss me." Atem pulled Yugi down towards him. Yugi welcomed it. The sweet kiss intoxicated them. Yugi felt his knees go weak and his arms lose their strength. His logic sense told him to stop and think about what was going on, but right now he couldn't help but submerge himself in Atem's embrace. The kisses became fiercer while they pressed their bodies against one another. The only sounds were their hastened breaths and only fabric denied their bodies to intertwine. Yugi moved his lips to Atem's neck. Atem moaned in pleasure.

"What did you want..? You were saying before…" Atem only whispered.

Yugi reluctantly stopped to look Atem in the eyes. "I would have said that I just want to forget all my worries… but I know it's impossible."

"Aibou… let's forget for one day…"


End file.
